Chapter 275 274 Sinecures

Stepping on the rubble of Fengtian Gate, a "crackling, crackling" sound was heard.

The fire in the Forbidden City had been extinguished. Before the scene could be cleaned up, Emperor Jiajing led everyone through Youshun Gate to enter the square, and then stepped on the ruins of Fengtian Gate and walked into the square in front of Fengtian Hall.

The once tall and majestic Fengtian Hall was now in ruins, in a mess, and devastated. Only a few remaining blackened pillars were still standing, showing its former majesty.

Emperor Jiajing's face was not good at the moment, just as black as the pillars.

Wei Guangde followed the crowd. He was surprised to be summoned by Emperor Jiajing before, but he was relieved after thinking about it. If there was a fire at home, could the owner not come back to see it?

Xiyuan was not far from the palace city, just next door.

However, after meeting the emperor, he did not get the expected reward.

Yes, at this time, Emperor Jiajing had no time to think about how to reward them. Let's first figure out the losses.

Wei Guangde was not released from the palace, but was asked to follow the emperor's team to inspect the fire scene.

Emperor Jiajing walked in front, and Wei Guangde and Chen Ju followed behind. At this time, the dignitaries of the court, such as the six ministries and nine ministers, had already arrived, and the eunuchs in the palace had gathered. There was no place for him and Chen Ju to stay in front.

After walking this way, Wei Guangde also understood how big the impact of this fire was.

This does not mean that if there is money, it can be repaired immediately. It is completely different from later generations. If you have money, you can directly find a construction team and go to the building materials market to start construction.

The materials used to build palaces these days are not bricks, stones, and cement, but wood, golden nanmu.

The "history of prosperity" of golden nanmu began in the Yuan Dynasty. Because its golden silk pattern is very consistent with the noble and elegant temperament of the royal family, it once became a special material for the Yuan Dynasty royal family.

In the Ming Dynasty, golden nanmu was widely used in the palace as a precious wood. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty applied this material to the manufacture of palaces, furniture, and coffins.

The output of golden nanmu is not small, and its value is not high, but what is precious is a special pattern of golden nanmu, that is, golden silk is hard to come by.

In the Ming Dynasty, ordinary wood was used to make palaces and other buildings, and wood with golden silk was used to make imperial furniture.

Golden nanmu grows in the most remote and highest altitude area in China-the high mountain forests in the western mountainous area of ​​Sichuan, where the climate is cold and dry, the temperature difference between day and night is large, the air humidity is low, and the trees grow slowly.

During the Yongle period, large-scale planting began in Sichuan, Huguang, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places. Because these areas are rich in high-quality golden nanmu, many emperors in the Ming Dynasty would plant golden silk in their own palaces, palaces, towers, temples and palaces.

There is actually no shortage of wood sources, but the problem is that golden nanmu matures very slowly.

Nanmu has a long growth cycle, and it takes at least 50 years to grow into wood. However, the golden threads have just begun to form at this time. It grows at a rate of 1-2% per year, and it takes at least 50 years to reach "full gold".

Even if it is just to build the three main halls, it will take more than 50 years of wood. Such a large amount of materials cannot be gathered in a short time.

Now the three main halls are destroyed. Not to mention whether the court can afford the money to rebuild, the selection and preparation of materials alone cannot be completed in a short time, and it will take at least several years.

At this time, Wei Guangde already knew the whole story of the fire. It was the lightning that struck the Fengtian Hall and caused the fire, and then spread to the Huagai Hall and Shenjing Hall behind. The fire continued to burn along the corridor and ignited the second floor of the civil and military buildings, and then burned the Fengtian Gate and Wumen Gate, and also burned the left and right Shunmen Gates.

Fortunately, it was a north wind at that time, and the strong wind helped push the fire to the south. If it was a south wind, the fire would burn directly to the harem.

Think about the situation in the harem, where the former palace maids and eunuchs live. If the fire really spreads to the harem, it is hard to know how much loss there will be and how many people will die.

However, what Wei Guangde didn't know was that Emperor Jiajing was thinking about what revelation this fire gave him at the moment. Was it a warning from God or something else?

The last time the three main halls were burned, Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict of self-blame. Now the three main halls have been burned again. What should he do?

It was not until the sky gradually darkened that everyone said goodbye to the emperor and left the Forbidden City to return to their respective residences. Wei Guangde also walked out with the crowd. He didn't eat lunch. It was dinner time now and he was hungry.

The next day, Wei Guangde arrived at the Hanlin Academy on time to take up his duty.

Before leaving the palace last night, Emperor Jiajing ordered that officials above the fourth rank in Beijing go to the West Garden to attend court this morning. Wei Guangde was of course not among them, so he could only sit in his public room and drink tea on time.

Wei Guangde was not very interested in what would happen in the West Garden today. He just wanted to know whether he would be promoted or rewarded with something yellow or white.

To be honest, Wei Guangde himself did not believe that he could continue to be promoted. He was really too young.

Normally, most of the Jinshi of this age would be selected to serve as Shujishi in the Hanlin Academy for three years. This would be about 20 years old and could take up other positions.

But he happened to be a freak outside the rules. He was appointed as Shujishi at the age of 18. Seeing that he had made great contributions, it was estimated that there would be some opinions in the court on how to reward him.

It would be nice to receive some gold and silver rewards. It is better to take a long-term view.

Wei Guangde could only comfort himself in his heart at this moment.

What Wei Guangde did yesterday had been spread outside the palace yesterday afternoon. He had preserved the "Yongle Dadian". This was a real achievement. Before he sat down to take a sip of tea today, his colleagues in the Imperial Academy They all came over to sit around, and Wei Guangde took care of them with a smile on his face.

At almost noon, news finally came out from Xiyuan that Emperor Jiajing had issued the "Edict of Sin".

"We are the heirs of the same surname. We were not the same as princes at first, but it was given to me by the emperor's treasure and the blessings of my two relatives. It has been thirty-six years since I entered the imperial family. Yesterday, I suffered an unprecedented event. Internal changes, God's mercy and blessing, help me to resurrect. This feeling is engraved in my heart. It's hard to describe it. My body and life are love, but it really depends on the words of my ministers. It is not the two ends of silence. Heaven's heart is a mirror, and my heart is loyal. , Heaven is a clear lesson. Yesterday, due to the drought, I prayed at the altar of thunder and flood, and I was happy that the rain fell down, and with the fierceness of the thunder and fire, it burned for a while in the three halls, extending to the porch, and the pot was burned with love. Zhaolin is all responsible for me. I am here to express my guilt to all the people. Disasters and auspiciousness are intertwined. Is there no inspiration? Those who are in power should be in a state of fear. , there is no time to be happy, you must do your duty, you must do your best to serve the people, uphold the heavenly precepts, use Zuo Erjun to care for the living beings, and make sure they are safe, and they are respectful and respectful, so don't give up on me. The edict is given and the envoy will know it."

Wei Guangde was also surprised when he heard the news. He thought Emperor Jiajing would find a way to evade the matter, so he never thought that he would issue an edict against himself.

I quickly went out with everyone to read the full text of "Edict on Sin", but it seemed that I didn't realize that I was wrong.

This is how Wei Guangde felt after reading "The Edict of Sin". He was a little suspected of shirking responsibility. This is what Emperor Jiajing should look like in his eyes.

Although Wei Guangde didn't have much contact with Emperor Jiajing, he still had a certain understanding of the current emperor based on his previous performance and market rumors.

The fire started because he felt that there was a drought and asked for rain, and it was accidentally caused. The responsibility was on him, and then it was gone.

Wei Guangde smacked his lips. Even though Emperor Jiajing issued the "Edict to Sin", he would probably continue to cultivate immortality in the future. He still said that although he admitted his mistake, he would never repent.

At this point, the fire in the three main halls has come to an end and is only recorded in the Ming Dynasty Records:

○Bingshen in April of the 36th year of Jiajing

The fire broke out at the doors of Fengtian and other halls. There was a loud thunder that day. At noon, the fire suddenly spread from Fengtian Hall and burned the canopy. I'm so afraid that tomorrow the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs will give me comfort and report that God loves me. I'm afraid of crossing the abyss. I don't know what to do. I'm so different. How can I excuse my resignation? However, my position as a son is the closest to me. I must only accept Ren and show you your comfort. The crime of loyalty lies with me. I bow to him, but I feel that I am in favor of Yu.

The fire was over, but the reconstruction work was also put on the agenda of the court.

Although the imperial court has no money, it can't even have a place to go to court, right? It's not like they have to tighten their belts to participate in this project.

Naturally, the current Minister of Industry, Zhao Wenhua, would not object to this.

It is a fact recognized by everyone that the imperial court has no money, but things still have to be done. Anyway, it is just about selecting materials. It does not cost much money to select the materials first and prepare them.

An official document was sent from the Ministry of Industry in Beijing to Nanjing and they were asked to start preparations.

"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and he is said to be the emperor."

Three days after the fire, when Wei Guangde was still on duty at the Hanlin Academy, an imperial edict came unexpectedly.

In the past, before issuing an order, someone would remind the person receiving the order to prepare the incense case and so on. This time it came a bit suddenly, and Wei Guangde had no one to give him the news before.

In the courtyard outside the Imperial Academy's duty room, Wei Guangde and other colleagues who came to join in the fun knelt down to welcome the imperial edict.

In fact, of course the colleagues coming together at this time were not just for this kneeling. It is not uncommon for them to receive orders in the Hanlin Academy. But everyone wanted to know what kind of reward Wei Guangde could get this time, so they could enjoy a banquet in the autumn breeze.

His reputation as a high-ranking official in Wei was widely circulated in the Hanlin Academy. He had a lot of money and ginseng, and those who were short of cash or lacked ginseng at home would come to Wei Guangde for help. He also agreed to come to anyone who came. .

Contrary to what he originally thought, this imperial edict not only upgraded Wei Guangde's rank, but also rewarded him with twenty taels of silver.

It's just that the official he was promoted to gave Wei Guangde a bit of a toothache. Zuo Sizhilang, Zuo Chunfang of Zhan Shifu, was promoted from the sixth rank official position by half a rank.

Speaking of Zhan Shifu, it was considered a fat official before the Hongzhi Dynasty. It was the yamen that assisted and educated the prince.

In the early years of Hongwu, a large main hall was built to store ancient and modern books, and famous Confucian scholars from all over were summoned to teach the princes and princes.

Soon, the prince lived in Wenhua Hall, and the Confucian scholars took turns to attend him, and talented people were selected to accompany him. At that time, in addition to the prince's young master, young master, young treasurer, and guests, the officials in the East Palace also included Zhan Shi and Tongzhi. The official positions of Zhanshi Yuanshi, Deputy Zhanshi, Yude, Zanshan Doctor and other official positions are all held by the old ministers.

In the 15th year of Hongwu's reign, the officials of Chunfang on the left and right were renamed, with Shuzi, Yude, Zhongyun, Zanshan, and Sizhilang respectively, and each with a bachelor.

In the 22nd year of Hongwu's reign, Zhanshiyuan was established to control the departments such as Zuochunfang, Youchunfang, and Economic Affairs Bureau, and to oversee the political affairs of the government, bureaus, and bureaus.

At this point, the Zhanshi Mansion was formed, mainly engaged in internal affairs services for the prince or the emperor, including official positions such as Zhanshi and Shao Zhanshi.

As for the job that Wei Guangde got, the position of Zuo Chunfang Zuo Si Zhilang was an extraordinary official position. He was in charge of the impeachment and correction of the prince's East Palace together with You Si Nao Lang and Zuo and You Qingjiro.

Wei Guangde also did not expect that after changing his official position, he would start disciplinary inspection work like his father. Wei Meng was appointed as the governor of Qianhu.

However, starting from the Hongzhi Dynasty, in order to educate the crown prince Zhu Houzhao, the Hongzhi Emperor selected scholars from the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy for teaching, and no longer had the Zhanshi Mansion to educate him.

Now in the Jiajing Dynasty, the two crown princes appointed by the Jiajing Emperor are gone, so naturally the Zhanshi Mansion has become a decoration, a step for the Hanlin officials to be promoted, and there is no chance to become the emperor's hidden minister.

Well, this time, in addition to changing Wei Guangde from a seventh-rank official to a sixth-rank official and giving him twenty taels of silver, it is still a sinecure, the kind with nothing to do.

After kneeling to thank the emperor for receiving the imperial edict, Wei Guangde had to pretend to be very happy and sent off the messenger. Wei Guangde and his colleagues had fun for another day before returning home.

Although he was a little drunk after drinking some wine, he couldn't just sleep like this. There was still something important to do, that is, to write a thank-you memorial and send it to the Tongzhengsi tomorrow morning.

This is a convention. The emperor gave a reward, and the ministers had to express their gratitude.

That night, when Wei Guangde returned home, he was informed by the concierge that Chen Ju was already sitting in the lobby of his house drinking tea and waiting for him.

Yesterday, Wei Guangde received rewards, and it is estimated that Chen Ju will also receive a lot, but I don’t know what benefits he has received.

“Brother Chen, what is this?”

Wei Guangde saw Chen Ju when he entered the door. In the past, he was dressed as a eunuch, but today, Chen Ju’s clothes had changed, and he was dressed like a eunuch.

Wei Guangde couldn’t tell the colors of the clothes of these low-rank eunuchs, and for a moment he didn’t know what kind of official Chen Ju was now, and what rank he was.

“Haha, thanks to my brother, I have entered the Sishejian to be in charge of the ceremonial guard.”

Seeing Wei Guangde coming in, Chen Ju stood up with a smile and bowed to Wei Guangde, imitating the etiquette of meeting scholars.

“Brother, what rank is this?”

Wei Guangde asked curiously. He was only promoted half a level, and he didn’t know how Chen Ju’s contribution should be promoted this time?

Eighth rank or seventh rank?

"The Imperial Household Department is the same as my brother, from the sixth rank."

Hearing Chen Ju say this, Wei Guangde's eyes widened instantly, looking at Chen Ju in disbelief.

Some people in this palace are easy to get things done, is Gao Zhong so powerful?

"Don't stare at me, I used to work for His Majesty, but it was hard work before, this time it was counted together and I jumped a lot of levels, hehe"

Speaking of this, Chen Ju couldn't hide his smile, he finally made it.

"No, it's just that my brother has jumped to the same level as me, it's really a bit."

"Hey, brother, you don't know, His Majesty has been racking his brains for your official position, it's just that you are too young."